A UK Grocery Chain Is Selling a Pitless Avocado

Every year, untold numbers of amateur chefs wind up in emergency rooms with slash and puncture wounds, victims of the slippery-pitted scourge increasingly known in the medical community as “avocado hand.” But what if there was a way to enjoy an avocado’s fatty, creamy goodness at home without needing to wield a knife at all?

That’s exactly what UK retailer Marks and Spencer has in mind with its new “stoneless avocado”, a specialty variety that can be eaten whole—skin and all— without exposing oneself to the risk of injury. The stone-free fruit isn’t some unholy bit of green alchemy dreamt up in a food laboratory, but a rare Spanish variety whose growing season lasts for only the month of December. Their unique nature stems from the fact that these unpollinated avocado blossoms grow without the seed that develops into a stone, reaching only up to about two to three inches in length.

While paying £2 for a smaller avocado sounds expensive, it seems like a steal given that it was once the sole province of pricey restaurants. “This amazing fruit has been on our radar for a couple of years,” said M&S agronomist Charlotte Curtis, “We’re very excited to have finally been able to get hold of some for our customers to try.”

So how should one enjoy a stoneless avocado? You can cut off the end of a ripe one and squeeze out the flesh as you would with a tube of toothpaste, or you can just gobble them up as is. M&S suggests that this richly-flavored, cocktail-sized variety can make the perfect garnish, salad ingredient, or one-off snack. They’re apparently especially delicious once deep-fried. They’ll only be available for the month of December over in the UK, making them the perfect final way to enjoy 2017’s trendiest food before it becomes so last year.